A Lil Bit Fancy

I wanted to share how wonderful my experience was getting lash extensions by Decerry. I had mentioned to her that I absolutely love lash extensions, however my eyes are so sensitive and the slightest irritation could even cause an eczema flare up. She assured me she would place them in just the right spot to where I wouldn't even feel them there and she did just that. Most of the time I don't even notice they are there. It's wonderful. As a busy Mama, always on the go at very early hours...I love that I don't feel like I need to put makeup on. A little brush of mascara and I am good to go.

Decerry's studio is just darling. You can really tell she is passionate about her profession and making her clients feel relaxed and beautiful. She is also in the process of becoming a nurse. This girl is such a driven, hard working young lady. I absolutely love it. I am always so inspired by go getters. And Decerry is certainly that.

You can book your appointment via the link below and she is even offering you a 10% off code when you book online. Code: alilbitfancylashes

So if there is one thing I am pretty familiar with its losing weight after a baby. You might look at me and think it's genetic or that it must have been fairly easy and I am going to be honest, Hell no! Losing weight is not easy, especially not after having 3 kids. But what is easy...Knowing what works and that it will keep working as long as I am dedicated. 5 years ago I signed up for a weight loss program through a local Dr. I was putting in an hour a day on my spin bike, wearing a trash bag with a weighted vest over it. When I wasn't doing that I would run 3 miles, now tell me why I barely saw the scale move after 5 months of working myself into the ground. This is why people get discouraged and give up. You are working so hard for little to no return. I had eliminated gluten at that point and thought that would be the miracle to weight loss. Dead wrong! So I went to this Dr. as a last result and what an eye opener. All of these foods I thought were healthy were not what I should have been eating for weight loss.

I have been on some form of this method for about 5.5 years and have learned new ways and styles of doing things when it comes to the amount of weight I want to lose and at what rate. There is a lot of info and I want to share it all but I don't want to overwhelm you. I think the best place to start is going to be the foods you should eliminate right now if you want to lose FAT.

For stage 1 we want to shock your body and kickstart that fat burning process. This is more like a detox. You'r body is going to want sugar like never before. Yes, you'll probably get a headache. Yes you will turn into a Hangry B but by the end of day 4 you will no longer be thinking about sugar the way you were before. Your cravings for carbs will be much easier satisfied by your new way of eating. This will be hard and use that willpower like never before. This is crucial because this experience will save you from cheating. You will never want to go through stage one again. SO.DONT.CHEAT otherwise what is the point of this.

I remember thinking for the 1st time at the maintenance phase of this diet how the feeling I had now was worth way more than that piece of pizza would have been. I had never been happier and felt more confident.

The Protein Stage 1 food list: Stay strictly to this plan for 4 days.

You will want to eat a total of 15 servings a day.

This list counts for 1 serving (Just about the size of your palm is 1 serving.)

I would cook an entire package of Turkey Burger into paddies and have them in the fridge ready to crab when I needed them.

I sprinkle each side with a little garlic salt and melt a pinch of parmesan cheese on top. Perfect for any meal with a side of cottage cheese or a quick grab and go snack.

This first phase is very hard but it's these 4 days that will kick your body into fat burn mode. It will also keep you from cheating. If you blow a day you will need to start over and that is the last thing you will want so DO NOT CHEAT. Or this plan will be pointless. You will be so encouraged after these first 4 days because you will most likely see some weight drop and or begin to feel much better. Just hang in there, the cravings shortly stop and you'll be so surprised and proud of your achievements just a few short days into this plan. You'll find yourself uninterested in foods you can't have. It's really very cool.

My final tip before I send you on your way is to prepare. The day before you start this plan you will want to do a big grocery shop. Meal prep as much as you can because you will be starving and not want to go through the trouble of cooking and be tempted to grab a cheat food. If you can just eliminate those foods all together. Do not keep them in the house.

Make a bunch of turkey burgers, turkey sausage, cooked salmon to pick off of in the fridge. Have food ready because you will get a little cray cray but don't worry, it doesn't last long. LOL And warn your close family and friends to stay away for those first 4 days because you will be hangry.

Ok, thats it for now. I believe in you! You can do this, and when you do you will see that it was all worth it. I remember putting on a bikini after my first experience with this diet and thinking, "WOW! This feels way better than those french fries would have."

If you have any questions at all just shoot me an email. And be sure to keep an eye out for my KETO friendly recipes I'll be sharing weekly. Livandwillow@yahoo.com

I love you all and I know you can do this!

**Disclaimer: Always speak with a health care professional before trying anything new in terms of weight loss. I am not responsible or guarantee any form of results or reactions. This diet plan was given to me under the supervision of a Doctor and it cost me a lot of money. I am simply sharing the information I obtained through that specific weight loss center.

Shocker, yes this was my first real experience with essential oils. As natural as I try to be how on earth is that possible? I think I was really overwhelmed by the entire thing, almost like it was chemistry and I had no idea what I would do with these oils and what they would do for me, but Melissa my wellness advocate couldn't have made it any easier for me. She sent me her most practical oils and a sweet little note with "recipes" Oil combinations she loves.

I have to be 100 % honest, I think I am hooked. I struggle with my neck going out on me often and I can't believe how well the "PastTense" oil roller works to help soothe my neck and headache. Even my husband Tim was surprised by this and now we walk around smelling like toothpaste all the time. (As Willow would say.) Seriously tho, my husband is a hard sell on anything. He thinks Tylenol is no match for his pain so this is a big deal.

We re really enjoying our diffuser as well. Its so calming at night and during the day I enjoy the Energy Boost combination. It's perfect and just what I need.

I have thoroughly tried every product I received and have enjoyed everything. If I could just get a little extra time in the day I might actually consider becoming a wellness advocate myself. Maybe once Indie is a little older. I really love my experience with them. Knowing my cleaner is non toxic and that I don't need to constantly be taking medications for headaches and allergies leaves me feeling very impressed.

I want to be clear that I am not paid to say this. My opinions are my own and I can't say it enough how blown away I am with Essential Oils. I have linked Melissa's site below if you have any questions or would like to place an order.

I also left my must haves if you are wondering where to start as well as some of the lovely Oil Blends that Melissa has so kindly shared.

Thank you Melissa for your generous gift. I think you knew what you were doing there because I am officially hooked!

**We would like to share an exciting giveaway over on our Instagram pages. One lucky winner will receive an Introductory Kit which includes 3 of doTERRA's most popular essential oils: Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint. **

So today I am 31. As wonderful as my life has been thus far, I do believe the best is yet to come. The last 31 years have sent me down many paths. As I sit here and reflect I can see how all of my trials a tribulations have been crucial to shaping my character. You simply cannot grow and learn if life is all roses. I will admit life has been pretty easy on me. I have it very good and know I do but I do face struggles and deal with frustrations and feelings such as anxiety, worry, jealousy and anger. I am human after all. I am not worthy of the many blessings I have. Not a day goes by that I take any of it for granted. For a while I did. After I had Liv I allowed myself to get distracted and slide down the slippery slope of becoming a luke warm Christian. I felt empty, vein and in need of something but I didn't know what. Well, I did know what I was lacking and it was a real relationship with God. I knew that it would take dedication but I was lazy. I was too lazy to give my loving God the time of day. He gave me everything I have EVER wanted and yet I didn't have time for Him. I neglected Him so badly I would avoid the Christian music station because it made me feel guilty. I can't recall what it was exactly that made me wake up one day and decide I'm done being in control of my life but whatever hurt it was I am grateful for it. I committed most of my days to listening to sermons, books and worshipping God with the volume all the way up. Day by day I felt the walls come shattering down. Worshiping God when life is good is so easy but the real test is thanking God when times are hard. I struggled through some major changes and stayed true to my faith and commitment to God. I made a promise to Him that even when I feel lost I will thank Him because He is teaching me something. I have got to learn from the struggles in order to proceed and find the blessing in it. God rewards you for staying faithful. I thank Him for the bad days. Real blessings come when you praise God even on your darkest days. When you are feeling discouraged just know He is working everything in your favor. If you just trust Him a teeny tiny bit He will move mountains for you. God knew I needed to hit that bump in the road. Today I feel so fulfilled and content and it's not because of what I physically have. It's because of what I spiritually have. I wouldn't trade this closeness with God for anything. The direction He has taken me since committing myself to Him is more than I could have ever imagined. I was such a fool to waste so many years with out this joy in my heart. I want everyone to experience it. You are all so loved. And remember, having everything isn't the answer to anything. Faith is all you need, He will take care of the rest.

How fortunate I am to celebrate another Birthday. I feel like I have become the woman I am supposed to be. I've had this blog for many years now and I want to personally thank you all for your continued support throughout this journey. As our platform continues to grow I will maintain our promise of using it to the best of our ability. We have so much love to give and want to do what we can to spread positivity and joy through photos and messages on faith as well as many other topics. We're raising our girls to be the type of role models young girls can look up to. My gift is being able to watch them apply what we've taught them. Especially the little things, holding open doors, random acts of kindness, complimenting strangers, being good listeners, serving the less fortunate, picking up litter, being there for a friend. I see them doing these things daily and my heart bursts with pride. These next 31 years, like I said above are going to be the best yet. Love to all!

My dear friend Carol and I have this obsession with our seasonal cherry blossom trees. Its always a mad dash to get photos in before they die. We were able to make some magic happen the other day. What a beautiful day it was, full of laughter, lots of smiles and tons of pretty pink flower petals.

Carol is an incredible photographer and her sweet daughter is so beautiful. We always enjoy our time together.